Hey guys,
So I got the 8700g and I LOVE IT. But the battery doesnt seem to last long. I have a couple of questions.

1) When you open the browser, google maps etc and leave it opened meaning insead of closing them you just leave to the home screen, does it take more battery? is it better to fully close them when not actively using them?

2) does googletalk, and IM ramble take more battery when they are on?

Here is my usage and battery time:

-Google talk (always on)
-IM ramble (always on)
-Opera browser (always opened)
-google maps (use it time to time)
-talk time about 1 hour a day
battery time - a day and a half

what do you guys get and is that normal?

thanks!

Some of the applications are using the radio to communicate and they will draw power . If you have Bluetooth active it really draws power.

I would say 1 hour a day is very low unless you have stuff running like Google maps. Try shutting off most of the apps and see what you get. Then add each one, one at a time Wait for a few days and see which one draws you down.

the old addage.. you have to pay to play.

muss2k1,

I have had my 8700 for about a week now, moved up from a 7290, and I have noticed a buig difference as well. tsac is right, with this blackberry, closing out what you don't need will definetly help; also, maybe investing in an extended battery when folks begin to get them back in stock again will always help

Where can i get an extended battery? I dont want to end up buying a fake one...also how much better is it?

Even with closing some apps out they will still drain the battery if they are set to auto update like BBWeather, Pocketday Sports ect.....

Sounds like the extended battery is for you

Hey
I never had a problem with my battrey but as soon as i started talking on bb msgr it sucked up my batrey life! I have to charge it every night and sometimes at school!!

Have you benchmarked the difference between leaving BT turned on vs. off? Over the extended Christmas weekend, I used my BB very little . . . too much family oriented stuff to do with visiting relatives and cooking. It sat on my desk for nearly 4 days, without charging, and the battery indicator still showed 75%. It's noteworthy that this is with an 8703e, which purportedly has a significantly shorter battery life than the 8700g.

My BT headset was turned off, but BT was enabled on the BB. So I'm not convinced that leaving BT enabled by itself really makes that much of a difference; other factors, such as the availability of a paired device, may impact battery life. And I'm sure the current drawn by the BT radio pales in comparison to the backlight on the screen . . .

Using BT on my 8700c uses very little power.

Could you guys update me with which 8700 you are using (c,g, 03) and approximately how much battery life you get in this format:

this is what i get...

Talk time: 1 hour per day
all IM software time (active): 1.5 hours total per day
software usage time(browser, gmaps, etc)(active): 30 minutes per day
IM software/BB software opened but inactive: 5 hours per day
total time BB lasts before charge: 2 days

what do you guys get?

What OS are you running? I know that there have been battery life issues with the TMO .346 OS.

with bes enabled and the device syncing up to Lotus Notes, I use about 1-2 hours of email daily and get about 13 hours of battery life. This is without using the phone at all.

Chris

how do i check which OS i'm running?

hmm, you would think for a device thats meant to be used so frequently, there would be a better battery life than this...anyone have the extended and find it to be worth it?

If you think Blackberry battery life is poor you should check out the other devices out there. For example, there's a reason why the Blackjack comes with two batteries. Windows mobile devices certainly aren't any better.

I don't see why people don't charge nightly. Do you really need to use your Blackberry when you're sleeping anyway?

My usage isn't really comparable to yours but I don't close my apps (other than hitting escape to exit the browser), I leave Bluetooth on all the time and my battery never even reaches 50% according to the meter. I don't talk much on my BB even though it's the only wireless device I carry. My web browsing and usage of IM is pretty minimal.

To check your OS version, go to Options->About.

That's crazy, so WM is worse as far as battery life is concerned...what are these smartphone makers thinking...this device is meant to be used and abused, especially for business users...

i am using OS v4.1.0.284

is that old? how do i upgrade it?

I also notice my battery dying much faster since I upgraded to .346

ps - this is the sprint 8703e

So I shouldnt upgrade? first off, how would i do say if i wanted to? and second, is there a guide somewhere where i can see the benefits of upgrading?

If I were you, I would update to the latest Cingular OS .377.

You should be able to download it here: https://www.blackberry.com/Downloads...E4F82F9F00E7D4

Here is the link to the thread that is answering all the questions about this OS release plus it has a list of problems that this OS fixes: http://www.blackberryforums.com/gene...highlight=.377

I don't have Cingular, I have T-Mobile